New York man suing Grindr after 700 men turn up for sex after exchanges with fake profiles

A New York man is suing Grindr after his ex-boyfriend allegedly impersonated him by making fake profiles on the dating app in order to lure men to his home and harass him.

Speaking to Wired, Matthew Herrick states the trouble started in October 2016 when his ex-boyfriend, who he had met on the app, made several fake profiles of him.

Men began showing up at his apartment and at the restaurant he works at. According to Herrick, it was only one or two men a day, but the numbers soon increased to eight or nine.

Eventually, the ex began to give Herrick’s phone number out to users who continually sent with messages and explicit photographs.

In the following weeks, Herrick claims that the fake profiles changed, offering men rough, unprotected sex as well as suggesting interest in orgies and drugs.

The new tone on the app drew in a new crowd who were more aggressive and became violent at times.

According to Herrick, one dangerous incident involved a man who’d come to Herrick’s apartment to enact a rape fantasy he’d discussed with one of the fake profiles.

Before the meetup, the fake profile told the man that Herrick would “say no when he means yes.”

The lawsuit targets Grindr for refusing to respond to the 50 alleged calls Herrick made about the situation and he has accused the app of negligence, emotional distress and false advertising.

Herrick has claimed that up to 700 men have attempted to solicit sex from him following exchanges with the fake profiles.

Herrick said: “My entire life has been stolen from me. my privacy has been taken from me. I’m humiliated daily.”

“It’s a living hell,” he adds.

The ex-boyfriend has denied the allegations in a phone call with Wired.

Despite a judge signing an injunction yesterday (February 3) to force Grindr to block the fake profiles, they have yet to go.

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